Lazare Saminsky (born Lazar Semyonovich Saminsky (; 27 October 1882 O.S. / 8 November N.S. – 30 June 1959) was a performer, conductor and composer, especially of

Jewish music Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish people. There exist both traditions of religious music, as sung at the synagogue and in domestic prayers, and of secular music, such as klezmer. While some elements of Jewish music may origina ...

Life

Born to a merchant family in Valehotsulove (now ), near

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

, Saminsky received a broad education in the arts, sciences and languages. He studied music at the Odessa conservatoire from 1903–1905, and then went to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, where he studied mathematics and philosophy as well as music. Expelled for his participation in the student protests of 1905, he went to St.Petersburg, where he studied with

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. At the time, his name was spelled , which he romanized as Nicolas Rimsky-Korsakow; the BGN/PCGN transliteration of Russian is used for his name here; ALA-LC system: , ISO 9 system: .. (18 March 1844 – 2 ...

, Anatoly Lyadov, and Nikolai Tcherepnin. While still a student he became a founder member, with Mikhail Gnesin, Lyubov Streicher, and others, of the ' Society for Jewish Folk Music'. He wrote music for the Society and helped organise its earliest publication. He continued an active member, even though from 1911 to 1918 he lived in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

, where he also interested himself in Georgian and

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

n music, and from 1917 to 1918 he was head of the conservatory. During this period he also wrote an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

''Tsar Yulian (Emperor Julian)'' (which he later destroyed), and researched Jewish music of the Caucasian region. He was particularly interested in styles of cantillation ('' nigun''). In 1919 Saminsky left the Soviet Union and travelled to France and England, where he gave recitals of Russian and Jewish music, and led a ballet season at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by ...

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, where he married the poet Lillian Morgan (1893–1945). In December 1920 he left to settle in the United States, where he was active as a composer, conductor and organiser of musical events. In 1922 he became a board member of the International Composers Guild. In 1924 he was awarded a MacDowell fellowship, working in the Monday Music Studio. From 1924 he was music director of the Temple Emanu-El Synagogue in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. For the synagogue he composed music for the Sabbath and Holiday services, also commissioning work from other Jewish composers including Joseph Achron and Isidor Freed. Saminsky's major compositions include the ''First and Second Hebrew

Song Cycles A song cycle () is a group, or cycle, of individually complete songs designed to be performed in sequence, as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rarely a combination of solo songs mingl ...

'' opp. 12 and 13 (written in 1914, published New York, 1922, text in

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

), songs, choral works, and piano pieces. Saminsky wrote numerous books on Jewish music, contemporary music, and conducting. He died in

Port Chester, New York Port Chester is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the largest part of the town of Rye (town), New York, Rye in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County by populati ...

on 30 June 1959.

Works

*Operas: The Vision of Ariel (1916), Gagliarda of a Merry Plague (1925), The Daughter of Jepta (1929), Julian, the Apostate Caesar (1933–38), *Symphonies: No. 1, Of the Great Rivers (1914); No. 2, Symphonie des Sommets (1918); No. 3, Symphony of the Seas (1924); No. 4 (1927); No. 5, Jerusalem, City of Solomon and Christ, for chorus and orchestra (1932) *Orchestra: Vigiliae; Lament of Rachel; Venice; Ausonia; Three Shadows, Poems for Orchestra; Pueblo, A Moon Epic; Stilled Pageants *Solo with Orchestra: The Vow - Rhapsodic Variations for Piano and Orchestra (1917 ; rev. 1943); East and West, Suite for Violin and Orchestra *Vocal/Choral: To Zion, a Choral Fantasy; 4 Sacred Choruses; 10 Hebrew Folksongs and Folk Dances; 3 Hebrew Song Cycles; 6 Songs of the Russian Orient; Requiem, in memory of Lillian Saminsky; Sabbath Morning Service; Holiday Service; By the Rivers of Babylon

Sound

''Shir hashirim (Song of songs)''
by Saminsky, sung by Emma Schaver

Recording

''The Vow'' - Rhapsodic Variations for Piano and Orchestra (Barry Goldsmith/Royal Scottish National Orchestra/David Amos), CD, Kleos Classics (2005)

References

Sources

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

, ''Saminsky, Lazare'' * Beate Schröder-Nauenburg, ''Der Eintritt des Jüdischen in die Welt der Kunstmusik'', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2007, pp. 151–208. * Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky), G. Schirmer, NY, 1958, ''Saminsky, Lazare''

External links

Musica Judaica
page on Saminsky {{DEFAULTSORT:Saminsky, Lazare 1882 births 1959 deaths Russian opera composers Russian male opera composers Odesa Jews Jewish classical composers Musicians from Odesa Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom 20th-century Russian male musicians